Physiotherapy apparatus



March 30, 1954' L- A. LA VINEv PHYSIOTHERAPHY APPARATUS Filed March 26, 1951 INVENTOR. 23 LOU/5 A. LA V/NE 0 4 E ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 30, 1954 UNl'TED "STATES TPATEN T OF F ICE PHYSIOTHERAPY APPARATUS LouisiAaLa Vine, Los-Angeles, Calif.

AppIicationcMarch 26, 1951, Serial No. 217,431

2 Claims. 1 My invention relates to the art of healing and particularly "that branch commonly designated as physio-therapy. Specifically, the "invention.

relates to thatphase of the art of physio-therapy which relies upon such physical phenomena as those resulting from induced oscillatory and electro-magnetic flux effects.

The present application is a continuation-inpart of my earlier application, serial No. 15,248, Ifiled March 16, 1948, for Method of Physio- Therapy and Apparatus "'I'herefor, and I reserve such earlier .date for all common subject matter set forth in said applications and claimed herein.

Tofurther advance the healing art it is among the objects of the invention to providea new and improved method of .phys'io-Itherapy which combines the beneficial effects of previously practiced methods and which .is productive of results far in excess of any anticipated combination.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved method of physio-therapy wherein the efi'ect of electro-physio-therapy is accentuated vmany fold by combining therewith induced physicaloscillationby vibrational effects.

Another object of the invention is to combine induced physical oscillation of selected magnitude and frequency with magnetic linesof force, forminga magnetic flux electrically induced and confined to a field of said magnetic lines within the beneficial range and wherein those known-to be harmful are excluded.

Still-another object 'of the-invention is to provide a new and improved combined means of physio-therapy wherein the patient is immersed ina sea or field ofelectrica'lly induced magnetic fiux and while immersed therein is subjected to specific effects induced I'either electrically :or physically, or both, the electrically induced magnetic flux being a combination of both electric and magnetic phenomena.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of an apparatus whereby the objects contemplated are-attained, as hereina'fter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims and illustrated in part in the accompanying drawings.

In order to assist in the illustration of the method described herein, certain drawings are shown illustrating-one-meansby which the combined physical oscillation and electrically incited magnetic flux may *beiproduc'ed.

Figure 1 is a sideelevational view of the subject supporting the device, partially broken away, showing the location of the blanket of insulated electric wire conductors and vibrator unit.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. A

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the manner of attachment of certain loops of the blanket conductors to the device.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 showing the attachment of a source of induced physical oscil- 'lations.

This invention contemplates utilizing the full effect of an electro-magnetic fiux treatment accentuated by simultaneous induced physical oscillations to the person treated. Comparative tests have demonstrated that the effect 'of a treatment by the combination method exceeds the ordinarily expected aggregate of these two treatments when taken separately by such a large amount that the benefits of the combined effect cannot be disputed.

An important feature of the apparatus is to produce what may be described as a sea or field of electric induction producing a magnetic flux. By this it is meant to create a field substantially greater than the area occupied by the body of the patient to be treated and while the patient is within that field to subject the patient to one or more other treatments in combination. If only a part of the patient is to be treated, obviously the area of the field or sea of magnetic flux effect need not be as great. Conversely, it can readily be understood that on occasions more than one person may be treated simultaneously if the area or sea of electrically produced lines of magneticflux is made large enough.

One of the principles involved in the invention is to create this over-all area wherein there is produced an electrically induced magnetic flux efiect of a certain magnitude and character, and then to combine with that effect some accessory treatment. The accessory treatment which is involved in this invention may be the subjecting of the patient, or some part of him, to an induced physical oscillation of certain selected magnitude and frequency.

Although the physioa-lmeans of creating and generating the electro-magnetic vflux effects above described may vary considerably, there has been setzforth, byway of example only, one means of producing the desired combination efiect. This means is embodied in the structure illustrated in thedrawings.

In the drawings, in this particular instance, a couch i0 is supported by legs H upon the floor 121 The 'couch,'inthe instance shown, includes side walls [3, li3,ends I4, 14' and a :top l5. If preferred the top, as illustrated in the drawing, may be of substantial thickness and include a cushion 1-6 resting upon a bed panel 11.

To provide a sea "or field of electro-magnetic linesof force constituting a magnetic flux of the desired character there is utilized, on this particular occasion, a flat blanket l8 of insulated copper wire attached to the underside of the bed panel I1. As here illustrated, the coil consists of forty-eight loops indicated by the reference character 23 each six feet long which extend around insulated spools 24 on the underside of the bed panel [1, thereby aggregating substantially 288 lineal feet of single strand wire. It has been found that satisfactory treatments are ex perienced when the 288 feet of insulated wire providing the field is of #27 gauge.

The idea in the arrangement of the loops of the blanket I8 is to extend the area occupied by the wire over practically the entire area of the bed panel so that when electricity flows through the loops the magnetic lines of flux induced thereby will be uniformly pread over a very substantial area within which a patient or subject may be positioned. The loops of the blanket [8 are shown terminating in binding posts 20 and 2! which are connected to a trunk line 22 supplied from a suitable source of alternating current.

Inasmuch as the blanket i8 is composed of nothing other than 288 feet of #27 insulated copper wire, ordinarily termed magnet wire, it may provide insufficient resistance for the alternating current supply.

In order that sufiicient resistance may be present, there can be added in series with the blanket ill a small compact coil 19 containing a suitable footage of a satisfactory resistance wire which will absorb a suflicient portion of thealternating current supply to prevent the loops of the blanket 28 from overheating. A successful resistance coil may be one made of 288 feet of #27 gauge copper insulated wire, being wire of the same gauge and character as that of the blanket Hi. The selection of gauge of the wire, the length of the blanket l8 and the electric current used instrumental in setting up the proper wave length and frequency of the waves in the field.

It should be recalled that it is not the requirement that the loops of the blanket it constitute a source of heat but rather a source of e1ectromagnetic lines of force constituting magnetic ilux. On the contrary, it is the desire to do away with direct heating by means of heat radiated from hot wires by means of substituting therefor electrically induced magnetic lines of force which, by induction combined with dielectric effect, ex cite the molecules of the patient immersed in the sea or field of said lines of force.

As indicated particularly in Figure 2, a switch 2t controls the turning on and shutting ofi oi the current through the blanket I8.

Also attached to the couch, and in the example illustrated, to the underside of the bed panel I? is oscillator unit 33. In the present example the oscillator unit consists of an electric motor 3! having a shaft 32, the ends of which extend outwardly from the motor casing.

it both ends of the shaft are mounted offcenter weights 33 on short arms 34 which extend at right angles to the shaft 32. Upon rotation of the shaft at a conventional motor speed of 1700 R. P. M. the weights set up an air oscillation which induces a physical vibratory effect upon the patient or subject reclining thereupon, the couch remaining substantially stationary throughout the period of oscillation.

Because of the rather large mass and weight of the couch, the activity of the motor 31 will not produce therein what in any substantial sense could be designated as vibration; that is to say, Shaking vibrations. The real result is more in the nature of a vibratory tendency which may be more properly described as an induced oscillatory wave effect or wave pattern. The eifect is not in fact a shaking of the subject or patient placed upon the couch, but rather an induced soothing oscillating eiiect extremely moderate in its magnitude.

Action of the oscillator unit may be controlled by means of a switch 35 conveniently located near the other switches 28 and 29 at the end M of the couch.

My invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment as above set forth is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of my invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which may come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

The invention having been hereindescribed, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for physio-therapy treatments, comprising a supporting device adapted for the support of a subject to be treated, a blanket of insulated electric conductors attached to said supporting device, means forconnecting in circuit a source of electric current with the conductors of said blanket and adapted to set up an electrically incited magnetic flux communicable to said subject without producing a substantial change of temperature in said blanket, and a unit for producing mechanically agitated air currents attached to said support adjacent to the area occupied by said blanket, said air currents being communicable to said subject and cooperating with said magnetic flux to act upon and to influence said subject when resting upon said support.

2. An apparatus for physio-therapy treatments for animate objects, comprising a couch for the support of the patient to be treated, a blanket of insulated copper wire attached to and located underneath said couch, means for connecting in circuit a source of alternating electric current with the wires of said blanket and adapted to set up an electrically incited reversing magnetic flux communicable to the patient without producing a substantial rise in temperature in said blanket, and a non-shaking motor unit adapted to produce mechanically agitated air currents attached to said couch adjacent to the area occupied by said blanket and subjecting said patient while resting upon said couch to the influence of said currents.

- LOUIS A. LA VINE.

References Cited in the file of this patent, UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Kaiser Dec. 14, 1915 Bachin Mar. 14, 1950 Number 

